Please note that the laws conveyed are the views of the authorities cited in each post, but other authorities may disagree. Please check with your halachic authority.

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Monday, May 19, 2014

Dairy for Shavuot

Hi,

Why do we customarily eat dairy on Shavuot?

Numerous reasons are suggested, including:

To ensure that we will
have two distinct cooked foods, like the egg and zroa of the seder
plate, since we will have a dairy meal for the custom, and a meat meal for
the general mitzvah of eating meat on Yom Tov. Also, this will provide two
loaves of bread, parallel to the shtei halechem - two loaves of bread brought as a korban
on Shavuos. (Rama Orach Chaim 494:3, and see Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim
1:160)

After the Torah was
given, the Jews would have needed many steps to make a meat meal, both in
preparing the meat and in preparing new utensils. Therefore, they made a
dairy meal, which required fewer steps. (Mishneh Berurah 494:12)

According to Rama (Yoreh Deah 97:1), some people actually make their
bread dairy for the dairy meal of Shavuos. Even though we are normally
prohibited from making dairy bread [lest one eat it with meat], this is not a
concern at the dairy meal of Shavuos, since a limited quantity is prepared, and
for a limited time.